THE largest international paintball event in Asia held its fundraising dinner recently to celebrate and acknowledge the event’s corporate sponsors and to announce its new title sponsor, Tradewinds Corporation Bhd.
The fundraising dinner, held at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, was graced by the presence of Sultan Kedah Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and WCA 2011 Royal Patron Tunku Panglima Besar Kedah Datuk Seri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Sultan Abdul Halim.
“Paintball is one of my favourite sports,” said Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz. “I’m happy to be able to share it with the youths, and people of Kedah. It is such an amazing sport, and the industry has grown so much in the past few years.
“We hope to see even more support from both the Federal Government and private sector as we work towards our vision of making paintball more recognised and affordable for all youths and people in the northern region,” she said.
Royal presence: (From left) Sultan Abdul Halim examining a marker as Mahadzir and Tunku Intan Safinaz look on. The dinner also recognised the contributions of the Youth and Sports Ministry, Langkawi Development Board (Lada), Tourism Ministry, and National Sports Council (MSN), all of whom gave significant support and infrastructural assistance for the event.
The dinner managed to achieve its aim of raising RM1mil for the paintball World Cup Asia Langkawi 2011 (WCA) event, thanks to its corporate sponsors.
This year’s event will attract over 150 teams from more than 30 countries to Langkawi from Nov 10 to 13 to create new legends for the sport.
The world’s top paintball athletes, including US pro paintballer Justin Rabackoff of PSP World Cup champion team Russian Legion and top European all-women’s team Poison Ivy will be among some of the teams at the event.
WCA 2010 champions team Datis from Iran will also be there to defend their title.
The event marks a multitude of milestones for the history of the tournament – this year will be the first time the WCA will be held out of a capital city, and will also be the first ever paintball tournament of this scale to be held indoors – at the famed Mahsuri Exhibition Hall.
The best teams from the region will also be battling in the Intercontinental Cup (ICC), a separate tournament reserved for the elite teams of the world which will be held simultaneously during the World Cup Asia.
Usually held in conjunction with major tournament leagues in Europe or United States, this will be the first time ever that the ICC is held in Asia – another feather in the cap for the WCA 2011.
WCA 2011 is fully supported by the Yayasan Sultanah Bahiyah Foundation (YSB), a charitable organisation. Among its objectives is a mission to engage youths in beneficial activities as well as to bring about social change.
A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will also be channelled to the YSB’s charitable cause under the Titian Ehsan Project.
AKR Events Sdn Bhd and PALS Events are co-organisers of the WCA 2011 alongside main sponsors Orogenic Holdings Sdn Bhd and Lee Thak Soon Sdn Bhd.
“We’re delighted to acknowledge and support the achievements of the WCA 2011, as we believe that it is a platform for great things to come,” states billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary of Tradewinds.
“Becoming a successful paintballer requires passion, integrity, trust, respect and teamwork, which mirror Tradewind’s five core values. What better traits to instill in our youths?”
Also announced was Tune Talk Sdn Bhd’s role as title sponsor of the 1Northern Paintball Series, a local league designed to introduce paintball to students and teenagers in the northern states.
WCA 2011 chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid promises that the tournament will be an unforgettable one that will eclipse all its predecessors.
He noted that the tournament would also promote Langkawi as a sports centre and showcase the world-class facilities of the Mahsuri Exhibition Centre.
The tournament will have four divisions for different skill levels – from the seriously fresh in Division 4 to the top teams in Division 1.
On average, each team can have up to seven people on its roster, though only five can be in the field at any one time. Markers and masks are provided for teams in Division 4.
Those eager to learn more about the sport or interested to check out the latest in paintball gear and equipment are encouraged to come to the WCA 2011 Paintball Expo, which will be held in conjunction with the tournament at the Mahsuri Exhibition Hall.
For those who prefer jungle-style paintball, the Command & Conquer Langkawi (C&C) will also be happening on Nov 13, and will feature several hundred recballers battling for supremacy in the woods.
The patron for the C&C Langkawi is former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
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